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Steaming Once Again - Europe's Oldest Working Steam Dredger

The “Wednesday Gang”, including Ken Dunn (vice chair) and Chris Witts (chairman) of the Friends of the Gloucester Waterways Museum, aboard the dredger, show their excitement with the news of their successful Heritage Lottery Fund bid.

Dredger SND No 4 is the oldest working steam dredger in Europe and was still active in steam until earlier this year when it was discovered that several boiler tubes needed replacing.

A successful Heritage Lottery Funding application by Friends of Gloucester Waterways Museum has secured £43,300 for repair to one of their favourite exhibits.

Built in Holland in 1925 SND No 4 regular dredged Gloucester and Sharpness Docks until 1981 when a new diesel electric dredger replaced her.

From the opening of the Gloucester Waterways Museum in 1987 SND No 4 has been the star attraction. Hissing steam, the
clanking of the steel buckets, all helped draw museum visitors to the museum.

Friends of Gloucester Waterways Museum “It was a sad day when we realised that without external funding the old girl would not work again”, says Ken Dunn, vice chair of the Friends. “So began the long process of applying for the Lottery funding. Something that the Friends could not have achieved without the professional help of Kim Chester, Development Manager, of The Waterways Trust.”

Two years ago the Gloucester Waterways Museum was struggling to stay alive but with the help of staff, volunteers and the Friends it has rounded the bend and is very much afloat.

Chris Witts, chairman of the Friends, said, “There is nothing worse than a dead ship, our dredger looked sad as she lay at her berth in desperate need of attention. Now we have a future, both for the dredger and the museum. It will be a day to celebrate when once again we see SND No 4 in steam again.”

Following repairs to the dredger monies from the Lottery Fund will be used to develop and promote the dredger as a key learning resource at the Museum. It will enable new learning materials to be produced, to allow those visitors with visual impairment or mobility
difficulties an opportunity to enter the unfamiliar world of this unique vessel whilst remaining onshore.